Content
- What Is Mac and Cheese?
- Where Does Mac and Cheese Come From?
- What Does Thomas Jefferson Have To Do with Mac and Cheese?
- What Does Mac and Cheese Mean?
- What Kind of Pasta Goes with Butter-and-Cheese Sauce?
- Is Mac and Cheese Popular in Italy?
- Why Mac and Cheese is not healthy food?
- How Can We Make Healthy Mac and Cheese?
- Mac and Cheese in 5 Words
- Quiz
- Recipe
- Author
What Is Mac and Cheese?
Mac and cheese is a famous international pasta recipe consisting of macaroni pasta and a creamy sauce made with butter and at least several types of cheese.
Macaroni and cheese is not popular in Italy, although the very idea of pasta with cheese comes from Italy. There are similar dishes consisting of pasta with cheese in Italy, such as fettuccine Alfredo.
The macaroni and cheese recipe is also found in old cookbooks from England.
Macaroni and cheese are extremely popular in America, where it bears a popular name mac and cheese. The word mac is an abbreviation for the word macaroni.
In the picture: raw vegan mac and cheese in a bowl
Where Does Mac and Cheese Come From?
We cannot say with certainty where the first original recipe for pasta with cheese originated, but some historical indicators point to Italy and England in the 14th century.
- Italy – Lasagna with Cheese – the 14th Century
Somewhere in the early 14th century, a book of Italian recipes called Liber de Coquina was written. This book contains, among others, the earliest recipe that resembles the today’s very popular macaroni and cheese dish. True, that first recipe describes a lasagna with cheese dish, but it is certainly a combination of pasta with butter and cheese sauce. - England – Pasta with Cheese – the 14th Century
In the 14th century, the cooks of King Richard II compiled the recipe book titled The Forme of Cury. One of the recipes from this ancient cookbook is called makerouns. This recipe describes cooked pasta in cheese and butter.
In the picture: the cover page of Liber de Coquina – a 14th century Italian recipe book
In the picture: the two first pages of The Forme of Cury – a 14th century English recipe book
What Does Thomas Jefferson Have To Do with Mac and Cheese?
Thomas Jefferson was the third American president with a mandate from 1801 to 1809. Before becoming president, Thomas Jefferson was an American diplomat.
In the late 18th century, Thomas Jefferson lived in France as the American ambassador. During his stay in France, Thomas Jefferson discovered the delicious world pasta dishes. His attention was particularly drawn to the macaroni and cheese dish.
In 1789, Thomas Jefferson brought a pasta machine to America from his diplomatic stay in France. In 1802, macaroni and cheese was served at a state dinner according to Thomas Jefferson’s recipe.
Thomas Jefferson’s recipe for popular mac and cheese was a version of the original recipe from French cuisine. It consisted of macaroni in a sauce made with butter, flour, milk and cheese.
Thus, the main author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third president of the United States (1801-1809), Thomas Jefferson, is responsible for the introduction and popularisation of mac and cheese in America.
Do you think Thomas Jefferson would like my raw vegan mac and cheese recipe from this page? Leave your answers in the comments below.
In the picture: Thomas Jefferson and a bowl of raw vegan mac and cheese
What Does 'Mac and Cheese' Mean?
The name mac and cheese consists of three words:
- Mac
The word mac is an abbreviation for the word macaroni. The word macaroni originates from the Italian word maccheroni.
Although the Italian word maccheroni is a generic name for various pasta types, the English word macaroni means short tubular pasta.
- And
- Cheese
Together like this, mac and cheese means macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce. The original name of this recipe has a conjunction with instead of and, thus highlighting the true nature of this dish – cheese mixed into macaroni, not separated macaroni and cheese.
In the picture: raw vegan mac and cheese in a bowl pictured from above
What Kind of Pasta Goes with Butter-and-Cheese Sauce?
Butter-and-Cheese sauce goes best with macaroni, fettuccine, rigatone and penne rigata pasta.
In the picture: the kitchen where raw vegan mac and cheese is being made
Is Mac and Cheese popular in Italy?
Macaroni and cheese is not popular in Italy, at least not as it is prepared in the popular way outside of Italy. But Italians love other pasta and cheese dishes, such as:
- Cacio e Pepe
A Roman dish consisting of spaghetti or tonnarelli pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. - Fettuccine Alfredo
A Roman dish consisting of fettuccine pasta in a butter and Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese sauce. - Pasta and Quattro Formaggi
An Italian dish consisting of penne rigata pasta in a sauce of four types of cheese.
In the picture: ingredients for raw vegan mac and cheese
Why Mac and Cheese Is Not Healthy Food?
The basis of this dish is macaroni in a sauce made with butter and several types of cheese. Although this popular dish is very tasty thanks to its creamy texture, it is also very unhealthy.
All dairy products, such as butter and cheese, contain ingredients that are very unhealthy for humans.
Here is the list of four harmful ingredients in dairy products:
- Casein – a milk protein that is carcinogenic in the human body
- Lactose – a milk sugar which dissolves in the human body into glucose and galactose. Galactose is a simple sugar that accumulates in the human body causing cataracts, liver dysfunction, neurological complications, and kidney damage.
- Saturated fats and cholesterol – lead to atherosclerosis
On the other hand, macaroni, like all pasta, is generally made from grains. Grains are not healthy food because they contain ingredients that damage the human intestines and prevent the nutrient absorption.
Here is the list of four harmful ingredients in grain products:
- anti-nutrients (phytic acid and oxalates)
- gluten
- simple sugars that ferment in the intestines (FODMAPS)
- lectins
How Can We Make Healthy Mac and Cheese?
Fortunately, there is a much healthier and tastier way to make mac and cheese with fresh vegetables, nuts and seeds.
- we make macaroni with zucchinis
- we make butter with sweet corn
- we make cheese with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds
Learn the culinary techniques for turning these few raw vegan ingredients into delicious and healthy raw vegan mac and cheese with THIS RECIPE.
Mac and Cheese in 5 Words
If you ever find yourself on a hypothetical association quiz at which you get the following 5 words:
- mac n cheese
- macaroni
- butter (sweet corn on a raw diet)
- cheese (sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds on a raw diet)
- Thomas Jefferson
You can be sure that the correct answer is mac and cheese!
Quiz
Recipe
Mac and Cheese - Raw Vegan Pasta
Equipment
- reverse osmosis water filter
- knife
- chopping board
- vegetable peeler
- freezer bags
- freezer
- Blender
- ear muffs
- dehydrator
- vegetable sheet slicer
- mortar and pestle
- sieve
Ingredients
Macaroni
- 2 lbs zucchinis
Butter
- 1 cob corn
Cheese
- 0.7 oz sesame seeds raw. hulled
- 0.7 oz sunflower seeds raw, hulled
- 0.7 oz almonds raw, shelled
- 1 tsp dried celery
Instructions
Sweet Corn - Freezing
- Freeze some fresh sweet corn one day in advance.Clean the corn.It is extremely important that the water in which we wash food is clean and free of all the harmful impurities that are typically found in tap water, such as chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, sulfates, pesticides, etc. I use a reverse osmosis water filter in my kitchen. With this reverse osmosis water filter, you can have clean water running out from your kitchen tap. Order your water filter HERE.Place the corn cobs in a freezer bag. Put the corns in the freezer.
Sunflower Seeds and Almonds - Soaking
- Also one day in advance, measure out 0.7 oz / 20 g of raw sunflower seeds and 0.7. g / 20 g of raw almonds. Soak the sunflower seeds and almond in clean water for about 12 hours.Nuts and seeds contain anti-nutrients such as phytic acid. These substances bind to the nutrients inside the nuts and seeds, preventing their absorption in the body. As anti-nutrients dissolve in water, soaking nuts and seeds enhances their digestibility and bio-availability of their nutrients.
Sunflower Seeds - Soaking
- The same day before, measure 0.7 oz of hulled raw sunflower seeds.Soak them in clean water for about 8 hours. The seeds generally contain phytic acid which is an anti-nutrient. Phytic acid is soluble in water, so it is removed by soaking the seeds.
Sweet Corn - Thawing
- The next day, take the corn out of the freezer. First, put the corn in the fridge for a couple of hours, then at room temperature to completely thaw and soften.
Sunflower Seeds and Almonds - Rinsing, Peeling, Marinating
- Using a strainer, rinse the soaked sunflower seeds in clean water.Transfer the washed sunflower seeds into a glass.Also, using a strainer, rinse the soaked almonds in clean water. For now, leave the washed almonds in the colander.Put on hygienic gloves and peel the almonds. Just by lightly pressing your fingers on the surface of each almond individually, the skin of the almond should come off easily.The brown skin of almonds contains anti-nutrients such as tannins and phytic acid. Also, it is hard and difficult to digest. This is why it is better to remove it.Cut the lemon in half.Juice one half of the lemon over the sunflower seeds, and juice the other half of the lemon over the almonds. Let the sunflower seeds and almonds sit in the lemon juice while you make the macaroni.
Zucchinis - Macaroni
- Wash the zucchinis in clean water.Peel the zucchinis.Using a veggie sheet slicer, make the zucchini sheets.You can order this practical and very useful kitchen tool HERE.Save the zucchini ends because we will use it in making the macaroni.Place the zucchini sheets one over the other, then chop them all together to the macaroni size.Transfer the macaroni to a bowl.Cut off the very ends of the zucchini leftovers, and set them aside for the sauce.Chop the very middles of each remaining zucchini to the macaroni size.Put all the macaroni in a bowl.
Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Almonds - Cheese in the Mortar
- Rinse the sunflower seeds in clean water.Rinse the almonds in clean water.So, remove the lemon juice, which we don't need for this recipe, but it served to give the sunflower seeds and almonds a slightly acid flavour.Measure out 0.7 oz / 20 g of sesame seeds. We use sesame seeds to make our famous Parmiggiano-Reggiano, which we call sesameggiano.Grind the sesame seeds in the mortar.Put aside 1 teaspoon of crushed sesame seeds (sesameggiano).Chop half of the almonds.Add the half of the sunflower seeds and chopper almonds to the mortar over the sesame seeds.Pour clean water into a spray bottle, then spray the ingredients in the mortar while grinding them with the pestle. The reason why this technique is so practical is that you can dose the water little by little as you need until you get a homogeneous white mixture as you can see in the video.
Sweet Corn - Butter
- Separate the softened corn kernels from the cob.Put the corn kernels in the blender. We use softened and blended corn as a healthy substitute for butter.Add the remaining half of the almonds and sunflower seeds to the blender.Add the remaining zucchini ends to the blender.Add one teaspoon of dried celery to the blender.Celery is a vegetable that is rich sodium, a salty-taste mineral. Thus we use dried celery as a healthy salt substitute.Before using the blender, protect your hearing with ear muffs. Noise accumulatively and irreversibly damages the cells of the inner ear. Because of this, it is very important to protect the inner ear from noise. Order quality ear muffs HERE.Blend all the ingredients into a yellow creamy sauce.Pour the sauce into the bowl over the macaronis.Mix everything together.
Warming
- Transfer the macaronis in the sauce to a casserole dish.Pour the mock cheese from the mortar over the macaronis.Pour the remaining sesameggiano that you left aside over the macaronis.Put your beautiful macaroni and cheese in the dehydrator and dehydrate them for about an hour at 117 F / 47 C.
Serving
- Pour the pomegranate wine over these vegetables.Mix everything well.
Enjoy Raw Vegan Cuisine
with the Raw Vegan Culinary Set
In the picture: Marina from Health Glows holding a bowl with raw vegan mac and cheese pasta
Marina from Health Glows
As a certified raw vegan diet and healthy lifestyle coach, Marina helps her clients and followers to transition to a raw vegan diet in a proven and sustainable way in order to get rid of health problems and build a high level of health.